For years, laboratory technologists have used dyes and stains such as those used in Romanowsky staining for preparing biological specimens to improve the contrast of a specimen during examination. Such examination typically utilizes a microscope, an automated device that captures images of the specimen, or, in other instances, unaided visual examination. Several different systems and methods for preparing a specimen for examination are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,096,271; 7,318,913; 5,419,279; and 5,948,360, and published U.S. Patent Application Nos. 2008/0102006 and 2006/0073074 relate to machines and methods for staining a substrate during specimen processing. These publications provide various details on staining and preparing specimens for examination.